Of the on/off screen pairing of Zac and Vanessa, director Kenny Ortega told press it just naturally happened. “We tried to separate them and try them with other partners but it didn’t work. The magic was already there between them. Life imitates art. When Zac and Vanessa first auditioned for me they didn’t know each other. But the chemistry those two kids share was just there. It has always been there.”

Efron agreed, adding, “We were the first ones to be paired up together in rehearsals and it pretty much stayed that way through all the auditions.”